In a 19-hour period this weekend, Ignacio Fernandez won three road races on Tybee Island.

Such things are possible in the current format of the annual Critz Tybee Run Fest, which features five consecutive races over two days. That Fernandez, 28, is the most decorated cross country runner in the history of the Savannah College of Art and Design only bettered the odds of such an accomplishment.

“It’s enough for today,” Fernandez said Saturday afternoon after winning the YMCA 1 Mile Run in 5 minutes, 6.02 seconds — the final leg and a relative sprint for him after earlier victories in the 5K on Friday night (15:38) and 10K on Saturday morning (35:22).

“I didn’t do it for medals,” he continued. “It’s just to have fun. I had so much fun today. I had a really good time.”

There were good times all around for winners of the eight titles contested Saturday through frigid and warm conditions, and temperatures in between. A total of 2,678 runners entered the five events this weekend, with 204 hardy souls trying to do all of them. Jim Sinclair, 30, of Tybee Island captured the men’s overall category (2:43:33) and Emily Ernst, 34, of Pooler was the fastest woman (3:13:44).

Fernandez, a native of Spain and senior advertising major at SCAD, was the fastest in Saturday’s first event, a 10K that started in the dawn’s early light at 7 a.m.

“It was a little bit cold around 6 a.m.,” Fernandez said in an understatement. “Once you start to warm up and focus on the race, you don’t feel anything. You’re excited. People are cheering for you.”

Fernandez had won the 10K last year, and after taking the 5K on Friday, said that he would consider running the 1 Mile to close out his day. Fernandez said that a couple of summers ago he competed in three road races in one day: a 6K in the morning, an 8K in the afternoon and a 5K at night for two firsts and a second.

Averaging 80-85 miles a week in training runs, he figured he was ready for Tybee.

“This is a good test of where I’m at, my fitness level,” said Fernandez, who started the races “conservatively” and increased his pace as he felt comfortable.

His 3-for-3 performance added to the win totals for SCAD, as Jessyca Scarpone won the 5K women’s title Friday (19:03); Megan O’Boyle claimed the half marathon women’s title (1:25:25.90) for the third consecutive year; and Hannah Lieberman captured the 10K women’s crown (36:24) for the second year in a row. All three women recorded personal bests.

“We’re always trying to improve each time we come,” Lieberman said. “We were just trying to represent SCAD by having us all in the races.”

That feeling of school pride could be shared by Atlanta’s Ryan McClay, 27, the men’s half marathon champion. When McClay competed for Berry College, he and a group of runners regularly came over from Mount Berry for the Tybee race and made a beach weekend out of it. He even brought his girlfriend Katie, now his wife, as she progressed as a runner.

McClay estimates he has run Tybee seven times. He called it his “unicorn” because “I can’t ever get this one. I can’t ever have a really big race.”

An all-conference runner at Berry, McClay said he dropped out of a couple of races because of injury or illness.

“I hadn’t done that well,” said McClay, who posted a personal-best time of 1:12:52.31 on Saturday. “I finally got a great one today.

“I’ve been running really, really well lately. I’ve been watching the weather like a hawk. It was a perfect day.”

ON THE WEB

For a searchable database of race results, video interviews with the half marathon and 5K winners, Spotted photos and more, go to savannahnow.com/sports.